Super vets win one tie, lose the other

Easy does it: Eastland player Ivor Holland, on loan from Thames Valley, applies a deft touch during the inter-association super veterans’ Division 2 competition round in Gisborne last weekend. Picture by Paul Rickard

Eastland won all their men’s doubles matches in both ties in the second round of the inter-association super veterans Division 2 badminton competition in Gisborne last Saturday.

But although Eastland beat long-time rivals Oroua 6 matches to 3, they lost to Auckland (1) 5-4.

Eastland team members were Kevin Lee and Helen Morley from the Gisborne Badminton Club, Ron Prebble, Linda White, Annabelle Riwaka and Ruth Ledger, from the Patutahi club, and loan players Matheus Batlajeri, from Manawatu, and Ivor Holland, from Thames Valley.

Against Auckland (1), Prebble and Batlajeri won the first men’s doubles match 21-17, 23-21. Holland and Lee also won in two games, 21-15, 21-18. Prebble and Lee easily won the first game 21-9, but had to fight to win the second, 22-20.

Auckland dominated the women’s doubles, winning all the matches in two games to level the tie at three matches each.

In the mixed doubles, the Aucklanders beat Batlajeri and Riwaka 21-14, 22-20. Holland and Morley lost in two games. Prebble and White won the first game 21-18, but the Aucklanders changed tactics and won the second 21-16. The score see-sawed in the third game, Eastland eventually winning 21-17. But Auckland (1) had done enough to take the tie, 5 matches to 4.

Against Oroua, Eastland won all the men’s doubles matches in two games. Batlajeri and Prebble won 21-19, 21-9; Batlajeri and Holland dominated their match 21-10, 21-9; and Holland and Prebble easily won 21-9, 21-15.

Oroua won all the women’s doubles but some matches were closer than the morning’s tie. Ledger and Morley lost in two games; Ledger and White also lost in two games; but White and Riwaka had a close first game before losing 18-21, 15-21.

For the second time in the day, Eastland were level with their opponents after six matches.

In the mixed doubles, Batlajeri and Riwaka kept a few points ahead of their opposition to win 21-15, 21-17. Holland and Morley dominated their match from the start, winning 21-12, 21-10. Prebble and White took an early lead and held on to take their first game 21-18. Oroua took the lead in the second game but Prebble and White rallied late to take it 21-19, and give a tie score of 6-3 to Eastland.

Other results of ties played in Gisborne: Auckland (1) defeated Hawke’s Bay 8 matches to 1; Auckland (2) defeated Oroua 7-2; Auckland (2) defeated Hawke’s Bay 9-0.

Scores —

Eastland 4 Auckland (1) 5.

Doubles — Men: Ron Prebble/Kevin Lee def Neil Bunkall/Paul Hood 21-9, 22-20; Ivor Holland/Lee def Hood/Gary Coup 21-15, 21-18; Prebble/Matheus Batlajeri def Graeme Evans/Coup 21-17, 21-23.

Women: Annabelle Riwaka/Linda White lost to Stella Hambrook/Vicky Bailey 9-21, 13-21; Helen Morley/Ruth Ledger lost to Helen Gallagher/Bailey 9-21, 5-21; Riwaka/Ledger lost to Zuchin Yeh/Gallagher 8-21, 13-21.

Mixed: Prebble/White def Bunkall/Gallagher 21-18 16-21, 21-17; Holland/Morley lost to Hood/Hambrook 11-21, 8-21; Batlajeri/Riwaka lost to Evans/Yeh 14-21, 20-22.

Eastland 6 Oroua 3.

Doubles — Men: Prebble/Holland def Bruce McGarvie/Stuart Osborne 21-9, 21-15; Holland/Batlajeri def McGarvie/Paul Crocker 21-10, 21-9; Prebble/Batlajeri def Crocker/Steve Arathoon 21-12, 21-9.

Women: White/Riwaka lost to Sue Wooddin/Anne Sutherland 18-21, 15-21; White/Ledger lost to Wooddin/Alison Coleman 9-21, 15-21; Morley/Ledger lost to Sutherland/Coleman 15-21, 7-21.

Mixed: Prebble/White def McGarvie/Wooddin 21-18, 21-19; Holland/Morley def Osborne/Sutherland 21-12, 21-10; Batlajeri/Riwaka def Arathoon/Coleman 21-17, 21-15.